Frank Thissen

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Thissen, Frank age 84, of Lakeville (formerly of Bloomington and Blooming Prairie, MN) died on November 6, 2014. He was the loving husband of Barbara for 51 years, father to Paul (Karen) Thissen and Susan Kennedy, and loving grandfather to Emily, Griffin, Evan, Riley and Aiden, and brother to Teenty (Ken), Molly (Don), Phillip, Herman (Milly), Mary (Mike), and Christopher (Jan). Frank grew up on the family farm outside of Blooming Prairie, MN, and never fully left it behind, becoming an avid collector of toy (and full-sized) tractors and cherishing visits to the farm for the rest of his life. He was proud of his service in the US Army and stayed active with veterans service organizations for the remainder of his life. He dedicated over 30 years to the St. Paul Public Schools as teacher, counsellor, and administrator of community education, drivers' education, and programs for adults with special needs. He served as President of the City of St. Paul Education Association and St. Paul School Counselors Association. Active in many community and church organizations, he was an especially passionate advocate on traffic safety issues in Minnesota as a founding member of the Minnesota Alcohol and Traffic Safety Association and as developer of the Alchohol Safety Action Program and Minnesota Snowmobile Instructor program. He was the most decent, positive gentleman and was known for always having a "thumbs up" for everyone. He will be greatly missed. The family wishes to thank the staff at the Spinal Cord Unit at the VA Hospital and Fairview Hospice for their kind care of Frank. Funeral mass on Thursday, November 13, 11:00 a.m. at St. Michaels Catholic Church, 22120 Denmark Ave, Farmington. Visitation one hour prior to service. Interment Ft. Snelling Nat'l Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to be made to the Minneapolis VA Hospital Spinal Cord Unit.

Published on November 9, 2014